Convertible carriage-shaft



' A. K HOFFMEIEVR.

Pole and Shaft.

' Patented Sept. 7, 1858 AM. PHOTO-LITHO. CO. N.Y- (OSBORNE'S PROCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AMOS K. HOFFMEIER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA.

CONVERTIBLE CARRIAGE-SHAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Amos K. HOFFMEIER, of Lancaster city, State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carriage Shafts and Poles or Tongues Combined; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

The nature of my invention is the forming the pole from the shafts.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

A represents the carriage axle and the clips B to which the shafts are usually attached.

C represents the shafts having an iron knuckle-joint D at each side, by which it is connected to the cross piece E. The front end of joint D is permanently screwed to the shaft, and the other end extends back to the pole bar point F, where it is attached by a thumb screw G and pin H.

T represents the iron plate which is fastened to the front end of pole bar J. Through the center of the plate I is a main bolt K, which is held down at its lower end by a forked spring L, the spring being attached at its back end to the pin M.

N are two thumb screws near the front of plate I, for the purpose of being screwed up against the shafts C, to tighten them, when they are closed together and form the pole P.

At the front end of pole is a hook having two eyes Q, and its points R fitting into the ends (in a socket) of pole or tongue, with a shoulder on each, so that the horses can be hitched, by the pole straps to the eyes Q to hold back the carriage, but in case of the horses becoming unruly and run- 21,420, dated September 7, 1858.

ning off, they are detached from the swingletree behind, and in moving forward, the hook slips "out, and frees the horses from the pole.

S represents an iron plate with two uprights through which a disconnecting pin with a spiral spring T (bet-ween the uprights) passes. This pin T is intended to hold the swingletree U in its place. The bolt K is (by the operator) pressed upward through the center of the swingletree U, and then the pin T is forced forward by its spiral spring through an eye in the upper end of bolt K; the swingle or double tree U is thus fastened; but in the event of the horse or horses running off, the driver pulls a strap which is attached to the head of the pin T, and as the pin T is drawn back, the bolt K fallsdown, and the swingle or double tree is instantly disengaged, and the horse is at once loosed from the carriage.

The cross piece E has a joint V in its center and the bolt K passes through this joint V. hen the ends of shafts at their connections F (with the pole bar J are unscrewed by the screw G, the shafts will operate and close at the joint V, and the ends of shafts will hook on to the thumb screws W.

W'hat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination of the pole hook with its eyes Q and points R, as they fit into the front ends of the shafts, which form the ole.

2. I also claim the arrangement and combination of the shafts, operating on joints, that when closed together form the pole, substantially as described.

AMOS K. HOFFMEIER.

Witnesses A. E. ROBERTS, M. CARPENTER. 

